SPORT
Most successful sports franchises roll around each year like clockwork. That means that while we don't have much concrete information, we're able to guess at what's on the way in 2013.
Trials Evolution: Gold Edition
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release: March 21
Trials could easily fit in the action, platform, puzzle or even sim pages here, but by sneaking it into sports it gets pride of place at the top. Evolution is the demi-sequel to Trials HD released on Xbox 360 and, for some reason, still not released on PC. Trials Evolution is still down for a 2013 PC release though, and I'm ready.
IHF Handball Challenge 13
Publisher: Neutron Games
Release: January 25
If there's anything the 2012 Olympics taught us, it's that handball is a more dramatic and exciting sport than most people realise: it seems mostly to be about charging into your opponent and hurling a large ball directly at their face. If there's anything Handball Challenge 12 taught us, it's that clunky animations won't necessarily stop your game finding an audience. Fingers crossed IHF HC13 smooths out the wrinkles, and delivers on the sport's promise.
Football Manager 2014
Publisher: Sega
Release: October 31
Normally Sports Interactive are coy on their future plans, but this year studio head Miles Jacobson has been slightly more vocal about plans for future releases. Football Manager 2014 is coming, and 2013's successful addition of Classic mode will be built upon. Will it prompt Rich and Graham to disappear a football-shaped hole, never to return? They already have.
FIFA 14
Publisher: EA Sports
Release: September 24
FIFA 12 was the first year that the tremendously popular football game achieved parity between its PC and console versions. FIFA 13 was still excellent, and built on that - slightly - with a few new animations and a new free-kick system. What FIFA 14 will add is anyone's guess, but it feels to us like the series is in need of more significant new features if it's to continue selling in such huge quantities.
PES 2014
Publisher: Konami
Release: September 24
It still had a lot of faults, but PES 2013 was a big step up for a series that has been flagging behind it's EA rival in recent years. PES 2014 will hopefully build on that big step, especially with the creation of a London-based dev team for the game.
FIFA Manager 14
Publisher: EA Sports
Release: October 24
Hey, here's that other football management game - remember it? Hopefully not. Previous editions of FIFA Manager have been absolutely dire, feeling like a weekend warrior in comparison with Football Manager's premiership contender. Still, FIFA Manager 14 is practically inevitable.
Pro Wrestling X
Publisher: Wishbone X
Release: December
Development of Pro Wrestling X began in 2006, and it's been a long-road for the game so far. A Kickstarter project launched in late 2012 aimed to speed the development process, but it failed to reach even its meagre $75,000 funding goal. Still we're betting that its passionate developers won't be pinned to the mat quite so easily.
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